Article distribution and sorting system

ABSTRACT

A radial distribution system includes a base member for receiving product for distribution to a plurality of conveyors, a plurality of gate members radially-spaced around the base member and configured to move between an open position and a closed position, and a vibration member configured to vibrate the base member. The vibration causes product received on the base member to move on the base member in a substantially circular manner.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. application Ser.No. 12/833,736 filed Jul. 9, 2010, which application claims the benefitof priority of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/224,412, filed Jul.9, 2009, which are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety.

FIELD

The disclosure of the application is directed to article distributionsystems and methods of using the same.

BACKGROUND

Various articles or products are often fed into distribution systems totransport or move those articles or product to one or more downstreamprocessing stations. For example, in the food packaging industry, frozenFrench fries can be fed into a distribution system that directs frozenFrench fries onto one or more conveyors for packaging at a downstreamlocation. Typically, the frozen French fries are fed onto a linearconveyor that has a series of gates at various locations along theconveyor. Each gate leads to a downstream packaging station that sortsand weighs the French fries for packaging (e.g., bagging). As the Frenchfries are transported down the conveyor, the leading French fries enterthe first open gate that is encountered. After a certain amount ofFrench fries passes through the first gate, fewer French fries enterthat gate (i.e., the first gate can close or otherwise restrict entry)and the leading French fries move further down the conveyor until theyreach another open gate. Product that reaches the end of the linearconveyor without entering into an open gate can be dropped onto severaldifferent linear conveyors to change the conveying direction of theproduct and return the product to the beginning of the linear conveyor.

Linear distribution systems as described above, however, have a numberof shortcomings. Because the gates are spread out along the length ofthe linear conveyor, the product is generally only fed to one gate at atime. This reduces the efficiency of the available downstream processingstations. Moreover, while product is being directed to a first gate,processing stations downstream of other gates shut down or enter astand-by mode until the first open gates fill up with product. Whenthese packaging stations come back online or re-start, they are morelikely to jam or otherwise experience difficulties than those machinesthat are running more regularly.

In addition, because the upstream gates are always fed with productfirst the processing stations associated with those gates tend toreceive significantly more product than the processing stationsassociated with gates further down the line. Thus, over time, thepackaging stations receive unequal use and wear out at different rates.

Another problem that linear distribution systems encounter is thatproduct must often be redirected back to the beginning of thedistribution system. When product reaches the end of the linear conveyorwithout being directed to a gate, the product is dropped onto thevarious return conveyors for reintroduction on the linear conveyor.These drops can result in unnecessary breakage or damage to the product.

SUMMARY

In a first embodiment, a radial distribution system is provided fordistributing product. The system can include a base member for receivingproduct for distribution to a plurality of conveyors, a plurality ofgate members radially-spaced around the base member and configured tomove between an open position and a closed position, and a vibrationmember configured to vibrate the base member. The vibration of the basemember causes product received on the base member to move on the basemember in a substantially circular manner. Alternatively, the productmay be advanced in a substantially circular manner toward a gate memberby rotating the base member or otherwise causing the product to movecircumferentially in a non-vibrating manner.

In specific implementations, the system further includes a productdirecting member. The product directing member can be configured toreceive product from above the base member and direct the product ontothe base member. The product directing member can be substantiallycone-shaped and/or it can have a plurality of segmented portions. Inother specific implementation, a feed member can be configured todeliver product onto the product directing member. The feed member caninclude one or more openings for delivering product onto the productdirecting member. The feed member can also be movable.

In specific implementations, the base member can be substantiallycircular and/or it can include a plurality of facets. In other specificimplementations, each gate member can be independently operable betweenthe open and closed positions, irrespective of the position of the othergate members. If the base member is substantially circular, the gatemembers can have a curvature that conforms generally to the curvature ofthe base member.

In specific implementations, the plurality of conveyors can be linearconveyors configured to transport product from the base member to adownstream packaging station. Each linear conveyor can be adjacent agate member, and oriented generally radially relative to the base memberlike spokes on a wheel. The gate members can be coupled to the basemember or they can be separate from the base member. In someimplementations, the base member can be sloped radially outward tofacilitate movement of product to the gate members.

In another embodiment, a method of distributing product is provided. Themethod can include providing a substantially circular base member forreceiving product, a plurality of linear conveyors, and a plurality ofgate members positioned between the base member and linear conveyors.Product is delivered onto the base member and the base member isvibrated to cause the product to move in a substantially circular manneraround the base member. One or more gate members can be opened to allowproduct to move from the base member to the one or more linearconveyors.

In specific implementations, the act of delivering product onto the basemember can include providing a feed member with one or more openings andcausing the product to move through the one or more openings to fallonto the base member. In other implementations, the act of deliveringproduct onto the base member can include providing a product directingmember that is substantially cone shaped and dropping product onto theproduct directing member. In other specific implementations, the methodcan further include vibrating one or more of the linear conveyors totransport product from the base member to a downstream packagingstation.

The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of theembodiments disclosed herein will become more apparent from thefollowing detailed description, which proceeds with reference to theaccompanying figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a top perspective view of a distribution system fordistributing product to one or more conveyors.

FIG. 2 shows a side perspective view of the distribution system of FIG.1.

FIG. 3 shows another side perspective view of the distribution system ofFIG. 1.

FIG. 4 shows a schematic side view of a distribution system that has avibratory mechanism.

FIG. 5 shows a top view of a distribution system for distributingproduct to one or more conveyors.

FIG. 6 shows a schematic cross-sectional side view of a base member anda gate member.

FIG. 7 shows a schematic cross-sectional side view of a base member anda gate member.

FIG. 8 shows a schematic cross-sectional side view of a base member anda gate member, with product held on the base member.

FIG. 9 shows a schematic bottom view of a distribution system that has avibratory mechanism.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description is exemplary in nature and is not intended tolimit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the invention in anyway. Various changes to the described embodiment may be made in thefunction and arrangement of the elements described herein withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention.

As used in this application and in the claims, the singular forms “a,”“an,” and “the” include the plural forms unless the context clearlydictates otherwise. Additionally, the term “includes” means “comprises.”Further, the terms “coupled” and “associated” generally meanelectrically, electromagnetically, and/or physically (e.g., mechanicallyor chemically) coupled or linked and does not exclude the presence ofintermediate elements between the coupled or associated items absentspecific contrary language.

Although the operations of exemplary embodiments of the disclosed methodmay be described in a particular, sequential order for convenientpresentation, it should be understood that disclosed embodiments canencompass an order of operations other than the particular, sequentialorder disclosed. For example, operations described sequentially may insome cases be rearranged or performed concurrently. Further,descriptions and disclosures provided in association with one particularembodiment are not limited to that embodiment, and may be applied to anyembodiment disclosed.

Moreover, for the sake of simplicity, the attached figures may not showthe various ways (readily discernable, based on this disclosure, by oneof ordinary skill in the art) in which the disclosed system, method, andapparatus can be used in combination with other systems, methods, andapparatuses. Additionally, the description sometimes uses terms such as“produce” and “provide” to describe the disclosed method. These termsare high-level abstractions of the actual operations that can beperformed. The actual operations that correspond to these terms can varydepending on the particular implementation and are, based on thisdisclosure, readily discernible by one of ordinary skill in the art.

Distribution systems, such as those described below, are necessary tomove product from one location to another for processing. In order toincrease efficiency, it is desirable to have a distribution system thatis capable of sending product to multiple processing stations at thesame time. Moreover, since individual processing stations occasionallymust be shut down or otherwise rendered temporarily inoperable, it isalso desirable to have a distribution system that can dynamicallyrespond to such processing needs by redirecting product from oneprocessing station to another. The radial distribution systems describedherein can permit product to be simultaneously directed to a pluralityof processing stations or conveyors, and, if desired, can be useful toaccumulate product and/or redirect product from inactive processingstations.

FIG. 1 illustrates a radial distribution system 100 that has a basemember 110. Base member 110 can be, for example, a substantiallycircular bed or basin configured to receive product for distribution toa downstream processing (e.g., packaging) station. Base member 110 caninclude a side wall 120 that substantially surrounds the base member 110to allow for product accumulation within the base member 110. Theproduct that can be received in and distributed by the distributionsystem can be substantially any product that is suitable fordistribution in the manner described herein. For example, the productcan be a commercial commodity, such as a frozen French fries foodproduct.

A feed member 130 can be configured to feed product into the base member110. As shown in FIG. 1, feed member 130 can be positioned over a centerarea or portion of the base member 110. Product can be delivered to feedmember 130, which in turn, delivers product to the base member 110. Thestructure of feed member 130 can vary. For example, feed member 130 canbe a stationary arm 140 with an opening 150 positioned over the basemember 110. As product moves down stationary arm 140, the product dropsthrough opening 150 onto the base member 110. Alternatively, feed member130 can be moveable so that the location of opening 150 can vary,allowing the product to be delivered to different areas of base member110. The number and location of openings 150 on arm 140 can also vary.Thus, arm 140 can include multiple openings 150 that drop product ontodifferent areas of the base member 110. In this manner, product can bedistributed substantially uniformly over the surface of the base member110. Of course, if desired, product could also be distributed in anon-uniform manner over surface of the base member 110. In one example,feed member 130 may be a vibratory (shaker) conveyor.

A product directing member 160 can be positioned on or above base member110. Product directing member 160 can be generally cone shaped as shownin FIG. 1. The product directing member 160 can serve several functions.The product directing member 160 can help to distribute productsubstantially uniformly on the base member 110 and it can help to reducebreakage of or damage to product as the product drops from the overheadfeed member 130 to the base member 110. The drop height from the feedmember 130 to the product directing member 160 can be relatively small,which can reduce breakage. In addition, after landing on the productdirecting member 160, the product can be gently guided down the surfaceof the product directing member 160 onto the surface of the base member110.

The product directing member 160 can be formed in variousconfigurations. For example, product directing member 160 can becompletely rounded or it can be segmented as shown in FIGS. 1-3 and 5.As best shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, if desirable, product directing member160 can have a plurality of segments 165 that direct product to one ormore areas of the base member 110. These segments 165 can be uniformlyshaped and uniformly distributed about the product directing member 160.Alternatively, the segments can be non-uniform in shape, size, and/orlocation to provide non-uniform distribution of product onto the basemember 110. Product directing member 160 serves to radially distributeand disperse product fed or dropped onto a central area thereof and,with gravity assistance, to lower the product in a controlled manner.Product directing member 160 preferably has a relatively modest slopethat allows the product to slide downwardly to base member 110 where itis received.

The product directing member 160 can also be formed of a single integralstructure or it can comprise a plurality of separate members. Forexample, as shown in FIG. 2, product directing member 160 can comprise alower (main) portion 166 and an upper portion 168. Upper portion 168 canbe the same general shape as the lower portion 166, or it can be adifferent shape as shown in FIG. 2. An advantage of a two-part productdirecting member 160 might be that different upper portions could beused depending on the specific product that is to be sorted. Thus, ifFrench fries were being distributed a first upper portion could be used;however, if whole potatoes were being distributed a different upperportion could be used. In this manner, a single machine could easily beused to distribute different sized and/or shaped products merely byswitching the product directing member or a portion of the productdirecting member.

To provide a smooth, controlled transition from the elevated feed member130 to underlying base member 110, upper portion 168 may be providedwith a different downward slope than lower portion 160. In one example,upper portion 168 has a steeper slope than lower portion 166 to mitigateagainst breakage that may occur when the product drops onto anunderlying surface or the moving product changes direction suddenly.Upper portion 168 diverts the free falling product in an impact-reducingmanner to give the falling product a horizontal direction component (aswell as a downward vertical direction component). Lower portion 166,with its shallower slope, in turn further reduces the vertical directioncomponent to slow down the product's vertical rate of travel as it isreceived by base member 110.

A plurality of radially-spaced gate members 170 can be positioned aroundbase member 110. Gate members 170 can be opened to allow product to passthrough an opening in the base member 110 (and/or side wall 120) andonto a conveyor 180 aligned with each gate member 170. Each conveyor 180can be configured to move product from the area of the gate members 170to a downstream processing station including for example a weighing andpackaging station.

It will be appreciated that the product flow is changed and dispersedfrom an essentially linear horizontal flow on feed member 130 to one inwhich the product is dispersed radially outwardly and lowered inelevation to feed multiple outlet gate members 170, preferably bycontrolling the drop of the products in more than one progressiveincremental step in which the product's angle of approach to ahorizontal plane aligned with the gate members becomes shallower witheach step.

FIG. 4 shows an example advancement member 201. In an exemplaryembodiment shown in FIG. 4, a base member 110 can be vibrated in acircular manner using rotary electric drives. In this embodiment, one ormore rotary electric drives 190 can be attached to a frame 195, which isin turn attached or connected to base member 110 via springs 205. Uponactivation of the rotary electric drive 190, the frame 190 is driven sothat it causes springs 205 to resonate and vibrate the base member 110in a circu8lar manner. This circular vibratory movement causes productreceived on the base member 110 to move in a circular motion around thebase member 110.

The vibration of the base member 110 helps to keep product evenlydistributed on the base member while moving the product towardsdistribution points (e.g., open gates). Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 4,product received on the base member 110 can move circumferentiallyaround the base member 110 until the product encounters a gate member170 with an exposed gate opening 175. Once product reaches an open gatemember 170, it exits the base member 110 through the gate opening 175and moves onto the adjacent conveyor 180 (see, e.g., FIG. 1). Conveyor180 can be any known conveying mechanism, including a linear vibration(or so-called “shaker”) conveyor. In another example of advancementmember 201, the base member itself can be rotated to move the product ina circular manner toward the gate members. In yet another example ofadvancement member 201, the product can be moved on the base membertoward the gate members through non-vibratory means by, for example,using a rotating arm to sweep the product in a circular motion.

Thus, in operation, product can be deposited on the product directingmember 160 (e.g., a cone), from where it slides down onto the basemember 110. Base member 110 can be angled or sloped to facilitatemovement of the product towards the opening 175 of the gate member 170.In addition, the downwardly angled or sloped floor of the base member110 preferably terminates at an upwardly sloped floor section to form anannular trough and provides a sloped side wall that facilitates circularproduct flow. Each of the gate members 170 can be separately(individually) opened and closed. Accordingly, if there is a problemwith one of the downstream processing stations, the corresponding gatecontrolling product flow to that processing station can be closed toprevent additional product from being directed to that station. Becausethe base member 110 is configured to move product in a circular manneraround the base member 110, the closure of one or more gate members 170need not significantly affect the distribution operation since productcan simply be diverted to the next open gate member. Moreover, if allgate members 170 are closed at one time (or there are otherwise notenough open gate members to keep up with the amount of product being fedonto the base member), product fed onto the base member 110 canaccumulate in the basin of the base member 110 until one or more gatemembers are opened/reopened to permit distribution of the product fromthe base member 110.

Various configurations for opening and closing gate members 170 can beused. For example, each gate member 170 can be mounted and/or coupled toa gate air cylinder 200, which is configured to move gate member 170downward to reveal gate opening 175. Alternatively, gate member 170 canbe slid open in another direction (e.g., upwards or sideways) and/orconfigured to move between an open and closed position in other ways,such as by pivoting about a hinge member.

Because the gate members can be opened and closed independently, at anygiven time one or more gate members can be in an open position whileother gate members are in a closed position. In addition, it may bedesirable to allow a gate member to be operable in a partially openedposition. The position of the gate members (opened, closed, or partiallyopened) can be dynamically varied during a sorting process (i.e., whileproduct is being sorted from the base member).

In certain embodiments, the gate member can be partially opened in orderto permit a sampling of product (e.g., specific-sized and/or shapedproduct) to pass through the gate opening. A so-called “partiallyopened” gate member can also include a gate member that is configuredwith one or more openings in the gate member to allow product to passthrough the gate member when it is in an otherwise “closed” position.Thus, instead of being a gate member that is movable to a certainposition to expose a gate opening, such a gate member would have one ormore openings in the gate member itself. Such openings could be used tograde or otherwise sort product. For example, the openings could besized to allow only product having certain characteristics to passthrough the openings. Thus, for example, such gate members could be usedto “weed-out” smaller-dimensioned French fries from a sorting processingthat involved the distribution of larger-sized French fries.

To the extent that the figures identify dimensional specifications (ininches), these dimensions are merely illustrative. It should be notedthat the dimensional specifications can vary depending on the productthat is distributed. In fact, the optimal dimensional specifications ofthe device can vary significantly for a single product type (e.g.,French fries) in view of natural variation of potatoes and commercialpreferences for different sizes and cuts of French fries. For example,FIG. 6 illustrates an embodiment where the distribution system 100 has adistance of about 24 inches between an inner wall and an outer wall ofthe base member, and a height of about 8 inches from the lowest portionof the base member 110 to the top of the side wall 120.

FIG. 7 is similar to FIG. 6; however, the gate member 170 extendsfurther up the side wall 120. The location and size of the gate member170 can vary depending on the product that is to be sorted. In addition,if the product that is being distributed is non-uniform (in size and/orshape) and the goal is to provide a random distribution of product, thegate member 170 is preferably large enough to capture product from thebase member 110 at various product depths. For example, French fries cancome in various sizes/lengths and it can be preferable to obtain arandom distribution of sizes and shapes to send down each conveyor.However, vibration of the base member 110 tends to cause smaller partsto move to the bottom of an accumulated amount of product. Thus, overtime, the vibration of the base member 110 causes smaller French friesto migrate to the bottom of the pile. Thus, it is preferable that theopening be configured to capture product from various levels ofstratification, and not just from the bottom. Referring to FIG. 8, forexample, it can be seen that several layers (levels) of product 210(e.g., French fries) can be adjacent the closed gate member 170 at atime. Thus, if the gate member 170 is opened, product at the bottom ofthe product pile and product that is higher up can simultaneously enterinto the gate opening, providing a substantially random distribution ofproduct delivered to each conveyor.

Referring to FIGS. 4, 7, and 8, to facilitate product distribution tothe gate members, the main floor portion of base member 110 can besloped relative to a horizontal plane. As discussed above, this slopepreferably is less steep or “shallower” than the slope of productdirecting member 160. In addition, if desirable, the floor of the basemember 110 can have one or more changes in slope. For example, in anexemplary embodiment, a lip portion 185 of the base member floor can belocated adjacent the gate member and outer wall and can have a slopethat is greater than the slope of the rest of the base member 110. Thus,for example, while the base member may generally have a slope of lessthan about 20 degrees, the lip portion may have a slope of greater than20 degrees, or, more preferably, between about 20-40 degrees relative toa horizontal plane. Such slope variations can allow product to move moreefficiently from the base member through one or more circumferentiallyarrayed gate members.

If desired, the distribution system can also be configured to sortand/or grade product based on size, shape, and/or other physicalcharacteristics that lend themselves to selective sorting. Thus, forexample, if it is desirable to obtain smaller samples of the productcontained in the base member, the gate members can be configured so thatproduct is drawn from a lower portion of the side wall. As discussedabove, smaller samples tend to move to the bottom of the accumulatedproduct during vibration and, therefore, by positioning a gate membercloser to the bottom of the accumulated product, smaller sized samplesof product can be selected from the accumulated product (at least untilthe supply of smaller sized product is depleted from the base member).Alternatively, the size and/or shape of the gate members can vary withina single distribution system. Thus, only certain size/shape productwould be able to pass through the opening associated with each gatemember, thereby sorting the product by size/shape while distributing itto other processing stations.

FIG. 9 illustrates another embodiment of a base member 110 that iscapable of circulatory vibration as described above. Base member 110 issubstantially circular, with twelve sides (facets) and six gate openings175 spaced radially around the base member 110. Each gate opening 175can have a width which is somewhat smaller than the width of each facet.In this embodiment, each gate and gate opening is substantially flatlike the side (facet) with which it is associated. In an alternativeembodiment, the side of base member 110 can be continuously curved (likea circle or oval) and each gate can have an arcuate shape to conformgenerally to the curvature of the side.

Product that is to be distributed in accordance with the systemdescribed herein can be processed in various manners before reaching thedistribution system 100. For example, pre-distribution processing cantake place upstream of conveyor 180. Such upstream processing stationcan include, in the case of French fries, food processing stations suchas cutting and/or freezing stations and various conveying mechanisms.After leaving the upstream processing station, product can be deliveredto the radial distribution system 100 for distribution to one or moredownstream processing stations (not shown), such as weighing andpackaging stations.

In one application of the present system, raw products (such as wholepotatoes, or uncooked/unfrozen French fries) can be delivered to adistribution system 100 and then further processed at downstreamprocessing stations after being radially distributed as discussedherein. These further processing stations could include, for example, inthe case of potatoes or French fries, cutting machines, frying machines,freezer machines, and/or packaging machines

As discussed above, in conventional linear distribution systems(so-called “run-around” systems), product that reaches the end of thelinear conveyor without entering into an open gate is then dropped ontoseveral linear conveyors to change the conveying direction of theproduct and return the product to the beginning of the linear conveyor.In contrast, when product is fed into the radial distribution systemsdescribed herein, product accumulates until it leaves the base membervia an open gate. Thus, the radial distribution systems described hereindo not require complex and lengthy run-around systems to re-cycleproduct for distribution. Product can be intentionally accumulated for alimited period of time (a few minutes for example depending on the rateof product flow and size of the base member) by closing all the gates orquasi-accumulated by closing enough gates such that the rate of productin flow exceeds the rate of product out flow. This has several benefits.The radial distribution systems described herein eliminate the multipledrop points that “run-around” systems require to re-cycle product.Minimizing the number of drop points reduces damage to product duringdistribution. Also, the radial distribution system can be more easilycleaned using “clean-in-place” (GIP) technology since it is a relativelycompact system.

Although the embodiments above discuss using the radial distributionsystem to send product along a conveyor to a packaging station, itshould be understood that the distribution system can be used to sendproduct to other kinds of downstream processing stations. Thus, thedistribution system can be used to distribute any type of product to adownstream processing station for any useful purpose. For example, thesystem could be used to distribute whole potatoes to a downstreamcutting station.

In view of the many possible embodiments to which the principles of thedisclosed invention may be applied, it should be recognized that theillustrated embodiments are only preferred examples of the invention andshould not be taken as limiting the scope of the invention. Rather, thescope of the invention is defined by the following claims. We thereforeclaim as our invention all that comes within the scope and spirit ofthese claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A radial distribution system for distributingproduct, the system comprising: a base member comprising a downwardlysloped floor terminating at an upwardly sloped sidewall at a peripheryof the base member to form an annular trough for facilitating productaccumulation and circular product flow; a plurality of gate membersradially-spaced around the annular trough of the base member; and avibration member configured to vibrate the base member.
 2. The system ofclaim 1, further comprising a product directing member, the productdirecting member being configured to receive product from above the basemember and direct the product onto the base member.
 3. The system ofclaim 2, wherein the product directing member is substantiallycone-shaped.
 4. The system of claim 2, wherein the product directingmember has a plurality of segmented portions.
 5. The system of claim 1,further comprising a feed member configured to deliver product onto theproduct directing member.
 6. The system of claim 5, wherein the feedmember comprises one opening for delivering product onto the productdirecting member.
 7. The system of claim 5, wherein the feed membercomprises more than one opening for delivering product onto the productdirecting member.
 8. The system of claim 5, wherein the feed member ismovable.
 9. The system of claim 1, wherein the base member issubstantially circular.
 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the basemember comprises a plurality of facets.
 11. The system of claim 1,wherein each gate member is independently operable between an open andclosed position, irrespective of the position of the other gate members.12. The system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of conveyors,wherein the plurality of conveyors are linear conveyors configured totransport product from the base member to a downstream packagingstation, wherein each linear conveyor is adjacent a gate member.
 13. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the gate members are coupled to the annulartrough of the base member.
 14. The system of claim 1, wherein the basemember is sloped radially outward.
 15. The system of claim 1, whereinthe product comprises potatoes.
 16. The system of claim 9, wherein theproduct comprises French fries.
 17. A method of distributing productcomprising: providing a substantially circular base member having anannular trough, the annual trough defining a sidewall disposed about anentire periphery of the substantially circular base member, a pluralityof conveyors, and a plurality of gate members positioned between theannular trough of the base member and the conveyors; delivering productonto the base member; vibrating the base member to cause the product tomove in a substantially circular manner around the annular trough of thebase member; and opening one or more gate members to allow product tomove from the base member to the one or more conveyor.
 18. The method ofclaim 17, wherein the act of delivering product onto the base membercomprises: providing a feed member with one or more openings; andcausing the product to move through the one or more openings to fallonto the base member.
 19. The method of claim 17, wherein the act ofdelivering product onto the base member comprises: providing a productdirecting member that is substantially cone shaped; and dropping productonto the product directing member.
 20. The method of claim 17, furthercomprising: vibrating one or more of the linear conveyors to transportproduct from the base member to a downstream packaging station.
 21. Aradial distribution system for distributing product, the systemcomprising: a base member comprising a downwardly sloped floorterminating at an upwardly sloped sidewall at a periphery of the basemember to form an annular trough for facilitating product accumulation;a plurality of gate members radially-spaced around the annular trough ofthe base member and configured to move between an open position and aclosed position; and an advancement member configured to move product ina substantially circular manner toward the gate members.
 22. The systemof claim 21 wherein the advancement member rotates the base member abouta center axis to move product with the base member toward the gatemembers.